Footwear



Dec. 17, 1946. i l l R MALING 2,412,623

FOOTWEAR Filed Deo. 8, 1944 Fil?. 2 [-0 /5 'i /6 Hg. 5; 2a

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Patented Ecc. i7, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in footwear and more particularly to an improved base structure which may be pre-fabricated as a unit for association with any of various types and styles of shoe and slipper uppers.

It is an object of the invention to provide a unitary pre-fabricated sole and heel structure for footwear which may be cemented or otherwise affixed to an upper structure to provide the effect of a moccasin type Shoe or slipper.

Another object is to provide a wrapped sole and heel unit having desirable qualities of exibility and in which the wrapper provides the tread surfaces for the shoe or slipper.

Still another object is to provide a wrapped sole and heel unit which may be pre-fabricated complete preparatory to its association with an upper of any of various styles and designs.

A further object is to provide a resilient cushion sole and heel unit having a wrapped tread element and a top sheet secured together in enclosing relation to platform and heel cushioning elements.

Yet another object is to provide a laced envelope comprising a tread element and a top sheet completely enclosing platform and heel elements, the tread element having portions extending in Wrapped relation to the sides of the platform and heel elements.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve shoe and slipper base structures.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shoe or slipper base structure embodying features of my present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal medial sectional view therethrough Figure 3 is a top plan View of the structure of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 4--4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal medial cross-sectional view of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view on line 6 6 of Figure 5; and

Figure '7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View showing a variation in the securing means.

Referring to the drawing, my improved base structure comprises platform and heel elements I0, I2 which may be of matted fibre as shown, or they may be of any other suitable material which can provide a needed flexibility at the forepart and, preferably, a degree of resilience which will cushion a foot in the shoe or slipper in which my lbase structure is embedded. Obviously, the platform and heel might be a 'one piece unit of matted bre, rubber, wood or of plastic or composition materials.

As herein represented in Fig, 2, the platform element Ill has extent from front to rear of the base structure, and the heel elements I2 are assembled on the upper side of the platform to provide a desired shank'curvature.

According to my present invention, the platform and heel elements are completely enclosed within'an'envelope which comprises a sheet I 4 of flexible tread material and a top sheet I6 of leather or other suitably strong material. The tread sheet It. extends over the full area of the under surface of the platform element l0 and is turned over theedges of the platform and heel elements in facing relation to their sides. Portions of the lsheet Iii may be cut awayT `at the toe and heel regions to facilitate a nicee'flt of thesheet over the curved toe andheel surfaces, the edges of the sheet at the cut-outs being brought together and stitched as at I8.

Prior to wrapping the tread sheet I i around 'f the platform and heel elements I0, I2, the inner surface of the sheet may be covered with cement, or separated spots or lines of cement may be applied thereto, so that, when the sheet is wrapped over the platform and heel elements, the sheet will become adhered to said elements to prevent objectionable slip as between the elements and their wrapper I4.

Similarly the inner surface of the top sheet te may have cement applied thereto before it is laid on the platform and heel elements, although the sheet I6 and also sheet It may, if desired, he free from direct attachment to the platform and heel elements and be merely confined when the two sheets are laced together as at 2B all around the base unit. I prefer to lace the sheets together but they may be stitched together around their edges as suggested in Fig. '7, if desired.

The tread sheet 'I4 does not necessarily need to be an integral sheet as represented in Figs. l-'i and '7. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a tread sheet 22 consisting of a leather split of the socalled soft-sole variety may constitute the tread element to which an extension strip 24 is stitched at 25 all around its margin for extending over the edges of the platform and heel elements. Fig. 5 shows such a tread sheet 22 covering the under surfaces of a platform element 28 and heel elements 3B arranged to provide a shaped heel. Here again, obviously, the platform and heel Aie 3 might be a one piece unit made of any suitable material.

It is a feature of the invention that my improved base structure may be pre-formed and pre-fabricated complete as a separate unit which may be cemented or otherwise secured to any of a wide variety of types and styles of upper. My unit is economical to produce and provides desired flexibility at the forepart with adequate support for a foot at the shank and heel regions. Furthermore, my invention provides for incorporating a moccasin effect in footwear whose uppers may provide a wide variety of shoe and slipper designs in association with a uniform base design and structure.

I elaim as my invention:

1. A footwear base structure comprising a platform and heel unit and an envelope completely enclosing said unit and having a flexible tread surface exposed on the under side of the base structure, said envelope comprising a exibile sheet element covering the under surfaces of said unit and extending integrally upward in covering relation to the side edges of the unit, and a top sheet covering the full area of top surface of said unit and secured only to the first mentioned sheet of the base structure all around the base structure approximately at the plane of the top surface of the base structure.

2. A footwear base structure comprising a platform and heel unit and an envelope completely enclosing said unit and having a flexible tread surface exposed on the under side of the base structure, said envelope comprising a shaped element having a tread surface and side walls extending upward from the tread surface integral with the tread surface all around the base structure and constituting a receptacle for said platform and heel unit, and a top cover sheet laced to the -upper edges of the side walls of the receptacle all around the base structure at the line of the top surface of the structure.

3. A footwear base structure comprising a thick platform element and at least one heel element associated with the platform element at the rear part of the shoe, an integral sheet of relatively heavy and strong exible material surfacing the entire under area of the associated platform and heel elements and extending integrally upward over the entire edges of said elements all around the shoe, said upwardly extending portions of said sheet at at least one location in the forepart and one location in the rear part being pinched and drawn together into fitted relation to the 'curved edges of said elements with the pinched material stitched in the form of an exterior generally vertical rib, and there being a series of openings in the said sheet along the margin of its top edge, and a lacing engaging in said openings all around the shoe maintaining said turned up portions of the sheet in their turned up generally vertical positions.

4. A footwear base structure comprising a thick platform element and at least one heel element associated with the platform element at the rear part of the article, a sheet of exible material extending as a tread surface over the entire under area of the associated platform and heel elements and extending upward in covering relation to the full thicknesses of said elements, and means for securing the sheet in its said covering relation and to an upper, including a relatively coarse and strong linear element laced through the margin of the upper edge of said sheet approximately at the line of juncture of the upper and the base structure.

5. A footwear base structure comprising sole and heel elements associated together to provide a relatively thick platform structure having shank curvature, a unitary sheet of flexible material surfacing the entire under area of said platform structure and extending integrally upward all around the article and completely covering the edges of said platform structure, an element of flexible sheet material above said platform structure having an edge portion laid against the top edge portion of said unitary sheet, and means securing saidedge portions together along the line of the top surface of said platform structure, said securing means being exposed exteriorly of the article.

6. A footwear base structure comprising sole and heel elements associated together to provide a relatively thick platform structure having shank curvature, a sheet of flexible leather having strength and toughness for serving as the tread elementof the article, said leather sheet surfacing the entire under area of said platform structure and extending integrally upward in surfacing relation to the edges of said platform structure throughout the height of the latter at every location around the article, and means engaging the top marginal edge 0f said leather sheet along the edge of the top surface of said platform structure securing the upward extending portions of the leather sheet in the said covering relation to the edges of the platform structure.

ROY MALING. 

